About us

The food we eat impacts our lifestyle in Portsmouth and Southsea. It’s not just about our health – it’s about our communities and businesses, local food producers, and the environment too. We started Food Portsmouth to connect all these together, and to reduce inequalities.

Launched in 2015, Food Portsmouth is a cross-sector, not-for-profit network of public, private, charity and community organisations and individuals working together to make good food available to all in Portsmouth and Southsea.

We think food should be:

good for people,

good for the place we live,

good for our planet.

Food in Portsmouth should also be affordable and tasty. Good food creates resilient, healthy communities. How food is produced should respect people, animals and the natural environment. How food is sold should support jobs, training and the local economy.

Food Portsmouth works with a range of people and organisations; whether you are an individual, a family, a school, a small business or social enterprise, a charity, or part of a large organisation, you can make a positive change! We provide advice and support to help you make informed decisions about good food. Find out more about our Food Portsmouth members here.

What we aim to do

Celebrate and promote existing food projects in Portsmouth and Southsea

Bring together local communities, businesses, policy makers and public health advocates

Host an annual good food community event

Offer food learning, training and networking opportunities

Form an army of ‘Food Warriors’ to volunteer at a variety of food-related projects

Support the reduction of hunger, malnutrition and food poverty

Why was Food Portsmouth set up?

In 2014, a conference of over 55 people linked to food from across Portsmouth came together to discover what it meant to become a Sustainable Food City, and how Portsmouth could aspire to become one. The workshops during this conference culminated in the creation of this collaborative vision:

‘To improve the health and wellbeing of the City, uniting and empowering the residents and organisations through a positive healthy food culture that is fair, resilient, and economically and environmentally sustainable.’

The Action Plan

Portsmouth is already alive with fantastic food projects and businesses.

The Food Portsmouth Action Plan is a tool to help strengthen and expand all this awesome activity. With the Plan we aim to highlight and fill gaps. We want to work with as many people as possible, promoting Portsmouth as a sustainable food city.

The changes we aspire to involve a cultural shift, and can only happen if everyone – individuals, families, groups, organisations and businesses – works together to make our food systems more sustainable.

No single organisation or agency can shift the food landscape alone; it’s so big and complex. Food Portsmouth aims to join the forces of many food-related projects and businesses!

We believe the reward – a city where good food is available for all, with healthy people, thriving communities and a sustainable environment – is worth it!

If you would like to find out more about Food Portsmouth, who we are and what we do, don’t be afraid to drop us a line at gail.baird@johnpoundscentre.co.uk or call the John Pounds Centre on 02392 892 022.